


Deduced/Deceived

by astudyinfic



Series: Holidays 2020 [5]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Gift Giving, Implied Mystrade, M/M, Not Beta Read, Set post-Baskerville
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:02:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27901189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astudyinfic/pseuds/astudyinfic
Summary: John finally gave Sherlock a gift that he can't figure out.
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Series: Holidays 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2036116
Comments: 15
Kudos: 40





	Deduced/Deceived

**Author's Note:**

> **Day 5: Package**
> 
> Prompts can be found [here](https://astudyinfic.tumblr.com/post/635866337200259072/decided-it-was-time-for-a-new-holiday-prompt-list).

John sat back in his chair, cup balancing precariously on his knee as he watched the spectacle unfurl in front of him. This was the most entertainment he was going to get all day, so he might as well enjoy it.

Sherlock was on the floor in front of the tree, a box in front of him that he was staring at as if it was personally offensive to him. Maybe it was. John really didn't know what was going on inside his head most of the time. The fact that it was a gift from him to Sherlock only made the process more amusing. 

He took a sip of his tea to hide his smile, not wanting to give anything away. 

"Judging by the weight," Sherlock started, picking up the box and holding it out in front of him. 

"Nope," John replied before Sherlock could get through any more deductions about the weight. 

Sherlock shot a withering glance at him and then turned back to the present. "Based on the size..."

"Way off. Try again." It wasn't very often that John got to stump Sherlock and he was enjoying it.

Setting the box back down, Sherlock turned it slowly, pausing when he got to the side John had meticulously sealed. "The tape you used suggests..."

"That it was what we had in the kitchen. I think you bought it for an experiment so that had nothing to do with me other than not seeing any reason to go buy more when it was right there for me to use." 

"But it is applied so methodically, it tells me..."

John sighed, half amused and half irritated, and shook his head. "It tells you that I'm a surgeon and know how to seal things. I don't see why you are trying so hard right now. You aren't going to get it." He'd called Greg to get tips as the Detective Inspector had far more experience when it came to gift-giving in the Holmes family. 

"I will get it. It's rather simple, really." Never let it be said that Sherlock was anything short of absolutely confident in his abilities. John looked forward to finally surprising him for once. 

To be fair, he had surprised Sherlock in the past. The first day they met, Sherlock never really stopped looking at him with a shocked expression on his face. Though, John had been looking at him the same way. Strange how things work out. If someone had asked him then if they would be where they are now, he probably would have laughed in their face. At the time, John was just looking to get through each day, not find a partner in every sense of the word and a purpose in life. 

He'd found both in the beautiful and frustrating man in front of him. 

That didn't mean he wouldn't enjoy proving Sherlock wrong for once in their lives. 

"The way the bow is tied," Sherlock continued, unaware or uncaring that John had completely tuned him out for a while. "I've seen a bow tied like this before. Mrs. Hudson gave me a gift with the exact same knot. You must have purchased the item at the same place. Considering her gift and what kind of stores it must come from, I would deduce..."

"That I helped Mrs. Hudson tie the ribbon on her gift. Her arthritis has been acting up. You should ask her about it sometime. I'm sure she would be happy to tell you all about it."

"I got her some cream and a tea that helps with inflammation as part of her gift. I am aware of these things, John." 

Now it was John's turn to be surprised, though he didn't know why. He knew better than most that Sherlock cared about the people around them, even if he had trouble showing it sometimes. "Good," he said with a nod. 

Sherlock turned his attention back to the package and John sipped his tea once more. Sherlock wasn't going to get it. He'd done everything right and even made sure Mycroft couldn't guess it before he put it under the tree. It was Holmes-proof. 

"I am not sure what you have done to this package, John," Sherlock finally said with a dejected sigh. "It's heavy but doesn't move. There are signs that you have gone out of your way to be deceptive and, knowing you as I do, I believe you have asked Lestrade to help you with this. He does pride himself on making this difficult. I can recognize his work here."

"I'd be insulted that you don't think I'm capable of doing it on my own, but I did ask Greg for help so I can't be upset." Sherlock glared back down at the box and John sighed. "Just admit you don't know what it is so you can open it. The suspense has got to be killing you by now." Because Sherlock didn't do well with not knowing things. Which part of the point of this. And partly because it was amusing to John to watch him flounder about in an attempt to deduce his gift.

During their first Christmas together, John expected Sherlock would be one of those people who took the paper off of a gift slowly and methodically, and so was quite surprised when Sherlock shredded the paper in his attempts to get inside. John still smiled at the memory, bits of paper scattered around 221B as Sherlock tried to get to the new scarf that he'd already known was in there.

This year was no different in that the paper was in long strips as Sherlock ripped it off, getting to the nondescript cardboard box that John got from the surgery specifically for this purpose. Laughing at Sherlock's face when he opened the box and looked inside, John could only imagine what was going through Sherlock's head. "You got me a brick? I assume there is some reason for this but I will admit that you have me confused. Well done, John, as that was clearly your purpose."

A plain stone brick sat inside the box, fitting perfectly with no room for movement. There was nothing remarkable about the brick at all, as far as John could see, but that didn't mean Sherlock couldn't deduce the origin of it. John saved him from having to do that. "Take it out."

Sherlock slipped the stone from the box and his brows raised as he felt the paper stuck to the bottom of it. He flipped it over as John explained. "I didn't want to put it in an envelope as that isn't nearly as fun to open. Or for me to watch. But, we've been working hard and I thought we deserved some time away."

"A weekend in Dartmoor?" Sherlock asked and John nodded. He was rewarded with one of Sherlock's true smiles and he knew he'd chosen well. 

"That's the plan. Completely with a room _with_ a double bed this time. And no psychedelic gas."

"Aw," Sherlock sighed and John simply rolled his eyes. "Almost perfect, then."

"It is perfect. You can get yourself high on government experiments later when it doesn't involve me." He paused, then added after a moment's thought, "I would rather you didn't though."

Sherlock pushed himself up to his knees to give John a soft kiss. "Thank you, John. I love it."

"You're very welcome, Sherlock. Merry Christmas."

A weekend away was a gift for both of them, really. And John hoped it would be a quiet weekend with no case of any kind. He knew his lover would be hoping for the exact opposite, but as long as they were together, that was all that would matter to John in the end. 


End file.
